


Tenacious- Arlo/Female Builder

by Kayniee



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, I don't know why I've done this, M/M, May or May Not Finish, Multi, OC/Arlo, Slow Burn, probably will but fair warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:54:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28464882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayniee/pseuds/Kayniee
Summary: Arlo grinned. "Beat you again." He said, helping the builder up off the floor."Oh, really, pretty boy?" Opal teased, a coy smirk on her face. "Give it a few weeks- I'll have you on your back under my foot, begging for mercy.""I highly doubt that." The redhead quipped."Keep your guard up, captain." Opal gave him a grin. "It's always the ones you don't expect."When the new builder from Barnarock asks the Civil Corps Captain to spar with her, he doesn't think much of it. But when she becomes the only person in Portia who has managed to even come close to his strength, he's made to think twice.The new builder has a dark past. One that she is reluctant to share with anyone from Portia. But when a certain redheaded captain manages to break down the walls she has around her heart, she may be forced to reconsider.
Relationships: Antoine/Dr. Xu (My Time At Portia), Arlo/Builder (My Time At Portia), Phyllis/Sam (My Time At Portia)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY SO! This glorious piece of work is about the video game My Time At Portia, which has been one of my favourite fandoms for a while now. The romantic interest of our darling builder is redheaded hottie, Arlo!
> 
> Opal is my OC. I own no one in this story except for her and the people in Barnarock.
> 
> I jump from fandom to fandom extremely quickly, so don't be surprised if there are, like, month long gaps between chapters. I will not commit myself to an update schedule, but positive input such as comments and kudos warm my heart and may remind me that I have a fanfiction on this site!
> 
> Also, feel free to scream at me to update- I usually comply within a week.
> 
> I hope that you enjoy my brain expulsion!

Arlo, Captain of the Civil Corps in Portia, had always wanted to be the best at everything he did. He had always planned on leaving his life at Portia to become a member of the elite Flying Pigs.

When he had been approached to be the Captain of the Civil Corps by Mayor Gale, he didn't plan on living in Portia for the rest of his life- In fact, he had planned on leaving within the year. Five had passed, and he had yet to successfully complete the the qualifier for the Flying Pigs, never mind the actual test.

The town of Portia was a good place that faced many dangers that Arlo was ready to take on- But he wanted more.

Not paying attention, he nearly stumbled into Portia's newest builder, Opal. She jumped backwards, startled.

"I'm sorry- I didn't see you there." Arlo hurriedly apologized. He then extended his hand in greeting. "My name is Arlo. I'm Captain of the Civil Corps in Portia. It's a pleasure to meet you." He flashed her an award-winning smile, his white teeth nearly glinting in the sun.

Opal eyed his hand, then warily took it. "My name's Opal. Nice to meet you, too."

"Right, well, I really am sorry." Arlo apologized once again. "I should probably be on my way- You know, sentry duty and whatnot." He turned to leave.

"Wait." Opal interrupted, crossing her arms, a smirk on her face.

"What is it?" Arlo raised a bright red eyebrow turning back towards the standoffish builder, who was eyeing him deviously.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could spar. So that I can get an understanding on how good exactly the Civil Corps are around here." Opal said. She began to roll up her sleeves.

"I assure you, our services are nothing short of the best." Arlo said, his brow furrowed in mild confusion.

"Well, I come from Barnarock. So you've got a lot to live up to." She said, making Arlo think twice. Barnarock was well known for its top-notch security. No doubt better than the Civil Corps in Portia. "I don't expect you to even come close to the Captain in Barnarock- But I want to make sure that you're able to do your job correctly." She said, a sly smirk on her face.

"Alright. I suppose I can accomadate that request." Arlo said, straightening his bandana. "Let's spar."

Without any prior warning, Opal lunged at him with her right arm, swinging it at his chest. He made an 'oomph' sound as she followed the attack up with a roundhouse kick aimed directly at his face.

Now prepared, he ducked under her leg, swinging his left arm at her now-exposed stomach, knocking her to the ground. She grabbed his leg and attempted to take him down with her, though his strong figure didn't allow it.

"Damnit!" She muttered under her breath, meeting Arlo's eyes with a look of defeat.

"Convinced?" The Captain smugly said, letting her up. "You're not bad, I'll give you that much. You've just got to keep on practicing. You're a builder. You'll build muscle naturally."

"You're actually not that far off the captain in Barnarock." Opal hopped to her feet, dusting off her slightly distressed blue jeans. "Maybe even a bit better."

Arlo's eyes widened. Better than the captain in Barnarock.. Now, that was certainly something.

"Or maybe I'm just out of shape." Opal mused, making Arlo's gaze drop. "Yeah, probably that one, considering it's been a while since I've done any sparring. Don't let it get to your head- I'll beat you one day." She warned lightheartedly, fixing her hair.

"Is that a promise, Ms. Builder?" Arlo raised an eyebrow.

"You could consider it more of a warning." Opal cheekily said, a smile on her face. "You're far too complacent- I'll get stronger quickly. And, when the day comes that I finally beat you.." She smirked. "You're going to buy me a drink."

Arlo was about to reply when Opal jumped to her feet and bounded away, out of sight in a matter of seconds.

His gaze lingered on the horizon for a few moments.

That was certainly some introduction. This new builder was turning out to be quite the character.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opal drops by the Civil Corps headquarters again to spar. After she leaves, Sam approaches Arlo with a commission she wants him to put up.

Punch one. Cover its side. Punch two. Cover its front. Punch three. Make sure it doesn't retaliate. Punch four. Cover your side. Punch five. Cover your front. Punch six. Aim at its head. Punch seven. Take out its stomach.

Arlo paused for a moment to wipe the sweat off his brow, and was about to resume beating up his abused training dummy when the sound of applause filled his ear.

He turned, still panting, to see Opal leaning against the commissions board, a grin on her face.

"I didn't see you there." Arlo said, his voice coming out raspier than he would've liked.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm pretty quiet." Opal shrugged. She then smirked. "You were beating the crap out of that training dummy pretty well. Now, however, it's my turn."

Arlo raised an eyebrow. "You want to spar again?" He asked, mildly confused. "After yesterday?"

She nodded, her expression straightforward, as if it was the most obvious thing on earth. "How else am I supposed to know if I'm getting better?"

Arlo scratched the back of his neck. "You've got a fair point." He leaned forward, stretching, as Opal set her bag down by the commission board.

"All right, we'll start at the count of three. No surprise attacks this time." He warned, eyeing Opal.

The builder sighed. "Fine."

"One.. Two.." Arlo smirked, waiting a few moments for suspense. "Three!" He quickly said, rushing at Opal, attempting to tackle her to the ground.

She daintily side-stepped him, making him crash head-first into the ironwood floor of the Civil Corps Headquarters.

He swung his leg around, causing her to crash to the ground next to him.

He rolled over, trying to get on top of her in order to pin her down. She scrambled to her feet before he was able to execute his attack.

Opal swung her leg at his side, which he caught mid-air. Using the momentum from the connection, he leaped to his feet and shoved his foot on her stomach, effectively pinning her to the ground with no way out.

"Do you concede?" He smugly said.

"Fine." She muttered, shoving Arlo's foot off of her chest. He helped her onto her feet.

Her small hand fit perfectly into his large one. Her fingers were thin and dainty- Perfect for a builder. Her hand was not without its callouses, though. There were little patches of rough skin all along her hand, likely from her work, which required her to handle wood, stone, and the sort all day long.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you going to let go?"

"Y-Yes. Sorry." Arlo swiftly said, giving her an apologetic smile. "Well, nice sparring with you. You're much better than my training dummy."

Opal snorted. "Good to know that I best a pile of metal." Her face settled into a smile. "Nice sparring with you, too."

A comfortable silence settled over them, though it was fleeting.

"Well, I've got to go finish off my starting exam.. I'm going to get my workshop certificate in a bit." Opal said, visibly excited.

"Good for you!" Arlo congratulated, smiling widely at the builder. "What are you going to name it?"

"Hmm.." Opal pondered, her eyes flicking towards the ceiling in thought. "I don't know. I was thinking maybe.. Polyester Makings?"

Arlo's brow furrowed. "What's polyester?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Opal shrugged. "I saw it on a relic from the Old World back in a museum in Barnarock and it sort of stuck in my mind. It is a pretty word, though, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose it is." Arlo agreed, though he didn't quite see how a word could be 'pretty'.

"Well, anyways, I've got to go. Goodbye, Arlo." She said, smiling.

His name on her tongue sounded so good..

"Goodbye, Opal. I'll see you around." He gave the girl a mock salute, making her chuckle as she left the headquarters, leaving Arlo standing with a stupid smile on his face.

Not 10 seconds after Opal left, Sam and Remington burst through the door, their faces both sharing a similar look of joy.

Arlo looked at them, dumbfounded. "Why are you two so happy?"

"The mayor FINALLY approved the Amber Island bridge project!" Sam exclaims, a giant grin spreading across her face.

Arlo immediately perked up. The Civil Corps had been begging the mayor to give them the funds for the project for at least 2 months now. They had been wanting to first of all, explore the cave, and second, retrieve some of the rare ores that were sure to be hiding in the jagged rocks jutting from the sides of the land mass.

"Brilliant! Have you two put up the commission, yet?" Arlo quizzed, grinning.

"Not yet. The guild isn't open yet. We were actually hoping you could drop it off. Sam and I just finished training, and I don't know about her, but I sure don't feel like running up and down 2 flights of stairs without a good breakfast." Remington quipped.

"Yeah, I can do that." The captain nodded. With any luck, he would run into Opal on his way there.

"C'mon, hurry up! The sooner you get there, the sooner the commission will be up. And the sooner it's up, the sooner Higgins will notice it!" Sam encouraged.

Arlo's nose crinkled up. "Higgins?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Higgins. All the other builders are useless- They come down here once a year, if that, and they barely ever take any commissions."

"What about the new builder?" Arlo challenged.

Sam snorted. "What about her? Have you seen her frame? I doubt she could swing an axe without seriously injuring herself."

Arlo squinted, his body still aching from him and Opal's previous encounter. "Well, I wouldn't say that."

Sam scoffed. "Only 'cause you're a people pleaser."

"Whatever." Arlo grumbled, his pride slightly wounded at the idea of the woman who just gave him a bruise being considered weak. Alas, he wasn't in the mood to get into an argument with Sam. "I'll go put it up."

Before Sam could say anything, Arlo darted out of the Headquarters and let Spacer out of his stall.

"C'mon, boy." The captain muttered. "We're going to go commission us a bridge."


	3. Chapter 3

As Arlo and Spacer reached the front steps of the Builder's Guild, a rather smug looking Higgins strode jauntily out of the door, a slightly crumpled commissio in his right hand.

The builder walked through Arlo, giving his shoulder a slight shove with his own, as if for jest, and then broke into a sprint, heading towards his workshop.

Okay.. Arlo thought, mildly confused.

Brushing it off, he entered the guild, greeted by the sight of a rather distraught looking Presley, and Opal's wide eyed face.

"Erm.. Hi." He greeted. "I'm here to commission a bridge to Amber Island."

"So the mayor finally put up the money for it, hmm?" Presley mused. A grin spread across his face. "Well! Young Opal here us up for the challenge."

Arlo's eyes momentarily flitted towards Opal. "I'm glad."

"Opal, you should check your Pa's workshop handbook. He built a good number of bridge's in his day." Presley instructed Opal. The young girl nodded.

Arlo couldn't help but notice that, at the mention of Opal's father, the builder's eyes had momentarily clouded over. 

"Alright." She answered, giving the commerce guild commissioner a small smile. "I can't wait to get started."

"You'll likely need to get materials from the ancient ruins just above our town." The commissioner said. His gaze wandered towards Arlo. "Arlo, could you show our new builder where they are?"

"Sure thing." Arlo said, sending Opal a grin.

"Thank you." Presley turned back to Opal. "Seeing as it's your first commission, I won't put a time limit on the bridge. Just make sure that it's stable." He said with a smile.

"Will do, Presley." Opal smirked. "I picked up a thing or two about building in Barnarock. I'll probably have it done about a week before Spring ends."

Arlo's eyes narrowed. That only gave the builder around 2.5 weeks to construct the bridge. The last time he ran past the old workshop, he didn't see any of the machines needed to craft the materials needed. The builder would have to make them all on her own.

"That's a very ambitious goal, Opal!" Presley clapped, grinning. "If you're anything like your father, the bridge will be in tip-top shape when it's installed! Arlo, please show her to the ruins- The sooner she starts on the project, the sooner it'll be finished!"

"Can do, Pres." Arlo gave the commissioner a salute, glancing at Opal, who had pulled out a black leather journal and was scribbling something in it with one of the branded pencils on the front desk at the Commerce Guild.

"C'mon, let's set out." He said, getting her attention.

"See you later, Opal." Presley waved at the girl, smiling.

"Seeya, Presley." She grinned back, and followed Arlo out of the Commerce Guild, skipping beside him.

Arlo glanced at her. "So did you end up naming your workshop after that Old World relic?"

Opal grinned triumphantly. "Hell yeah! You're looking at the new owner of Polyester Makings."

"Nice." Arlo commented, giving the girl a nod. "Have you made any friends, yet?"

The builder shook her head. "Nah, not really. I've spoken to a few people, I guess. Been a bit too busy with the initiation process to do much socializing. And now with the bridge. For the first week or so, at least, I probably won't be out of the workshop for most of the day."

"Speaking of- Are you sure you'll be able to get the bridge finished in two and a half weeks?" The captain frowned. "That's not very long."

Opal snorted. "It's two and a half weeks! Not very long, my ass! I'll probably have it done before that. Just wanted to give myself a little extra time." She smirked. "I studied abroad in Atara for about a year. I'm hardly an amateur."

Arlo hesitated, then nodded. The builder seemed to know what she was doing- And it was really none of his business.

"By the way, where did you learn to spar like that?" He asked, curious. "You're quite good. A bit of practice, and you'll be Civil Corps level."

Opal laughed, brushing a strand of light blue hair from her face. "Like I said before- Barnarock's Civil Corps are fucking amazing. I was, er.. Rather well acquainted with the captain and the officers." Her smile faltered momentarily, which Arlo noticed, but decided not to mention.

"You see that hill with the building on top of it?" Arlo pointed. Opal followed his gaze.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"The Ancient Ruins are at the bottom of the hill. The building on top is the church." Arlo explained. 

"Cool." Opal nodded. She hesitated slightly. "So what's the social scene in Portia like?"

Arlo tilted his head, thinking. He didn't have many friends outside the Civil Corps. Opal seemed friendly enough- She would likely become a staple figure in the town within the month. "I'm not really the best person to ask about that. If you want to know, maybe pop by the Round Table around happy hour. I'm sure Django and Sonia are experts on whom you should be talking to." He suggested.

"Okay." The builder nodded slowly. "And where might the Round Table be?"

"Just across the street from the Commerce Guild. You can't miss it." Arlo hesitated. "I'll be there Friday with Sam and Remington. I could wait for you outside and maybe walk you in."

A bright smile shone on Opal's face. "I'd like that." She chirped.

Arlo grinned. "Brilliant."

The pair began to walk along the road in comfortable silence.

Arlo couldn't help but steal a glance at Opal's long, toned legs. The skirt she had on complimented her figure, leaving nearly nothing to the imagination. She was clearly very strong. He could see the muscles in her calves very clearly. She was likely quite flexible, too. Arlo bit his lip, trying to ignore the onslaught of images that immediately filled his mind. He was just showing the new builder to the ruins. And he was doing his duty by telling her where the Round Table was, even offering to take her there himself. He was just doing his job.

"You okay?" Opal's voice cut through his thoughts. Arlo hadn't noticed he had stopped walking until she pointed it out.

He looked at the builder, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about something." The two continued to walk side by side. Arlo forced his gaze onto the horizon, not wanting to get distracted again by Opal's figure. 

They walked in comfortable silence until they arrived in front of the Ancient Ruins entrance. 

"Well, here we are." Arlo announced, watching Opal's eyes widen as she took in the ruins.

"Damn." She said appreciatively. "This is way better than the crap they had us explore back in Barnarock." She turned to Arlo. "Do you know what types of ores they have in here?"

The captain shook his head. "The Civil Corps doesn't normally go to the Ancient Ruins other than to check the stability of the tunnels and such. Remington and Sam usually do that."

"It'll be a surprise, then!" Opal grinned.

"Well, I'd best be on my way- Patrols and such." Arlo excused himself. "Stay safe."

"I will. Bye, Captain Arlo." She grinned.

Arlo gave her a small smile. "Just call me Arlo. No one calls me 'Captain Arlo'."

"Okay, then.." Opal hesitated. "Arlo."

The captain smiled. "Goodbye, Opal." As he walked over to the tree farm, his mind couldn't help but replay their conversation.. His name sounded so good in her voice.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent a good while on this chapter! By the way- For this book, I'm trying to write more freely. For many of my past works, I've set myself to a minimum of 2000 words per chapter, and one chapter a day. I'm not going to give myself any boundaries, thus the varied chapter lengths, and the update times.
> 
> I also jump from fandom to fandom and fanfiction to fanfiction very quickly, which I have been trying to slow down on.
> 
> Again, comments and kudos remind me to update, so please don't be a silent reader.

Arlo grinned. "Beat you again." He said, helping the builder up off her feet.

"Oh, really, pretty boy?" Opal teased, a coy smirk on her face. Arlo grimaced at the nickname. "Give it a few weeks- I'll have you on your back, under my foot, just begging for mercy." She said, her voice bordering on seductive.

"I highly doubt that." Arlo said, raising an eyebrow. "I am the Civil Corps captain for a reason."

"If you say so, pretty boy." The builder teased.

Arlo grimaced. "Why 'pretty boy'?" He questioned, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Well, you said I can't call you Captain Arlo, and just Arlo is far too intimate, so I decided to come up with a nickname."

"Well, yes, I suppose I can understand that. But out of all the possible nicknames, did you have to choose 'pretty boy'?"

Opal smirked. "Well, you are the definition of a pretty boy- A hot redhead in uniform."

"Yes, but-" Arlo paused, furrowing his eyebrows. "Did you just call me hot?"

Opal shrugged nonchalantly. "Perhaps." She smoothly said. "If you do the math, you match most of the attractive male stereotypes, therefore you would be considered hot."

"Erm.. Thank you?" Arlo said, slightly confused.

Opal waved a hand in the air. "Don't mention it.. I've got to go check on my furnaces. See you tonight?"

Arlo's eyebrows furrowed. "Tonight- Oh! The Round Table! Yes, I'll be there. Around what time will you get there?"

"Uh.. Probably around 8PM." Opal mused.

"Brilliant." Arlo shot her a charming grin. "Well, I'll see you there."

"See you there." She said, her voice soft.

Arlo watched as she skipped away. Opal had been growing noticeably stronger during the week they had been training together. He had to admit- Their sparring sessions had turned into a bit of a challenge. He wasn't sure how long it would take before she would manage to beat him.

He headed over to the kitchen- Opal had arrived at the Corps before he had managed to eat breakfast. As he entered the room, he noticed the smell of pancakes- And, of course, a smirking Sam.

"You're hanging out with that builder a lot." She slyly commented, a coy grin on her face.

Arlo sighed. He couldn't so much as talk to a girl without Sam going full on matchmaker mode. She had done it with Nora, Emily, Ginger, Sonia, and pretty much every other girl in Portia other than Phyllis. "Before you get any ideas, she comes to the Corps to spar with me. She's from Barnarock- You know how great the Civil Corps are over there. She's just ensuring that we're doing out jobs properly."

"If you say so." Sam smirked, taking a sip of her coffee. "There are pancakes on the counter. I told Remy to use up all the syrup because you were bitching about there not being enough last time." She bluntly said.

Arlo sighed, spearing a pancake with his fork and dipping it into the coffee. He shoved it into his mouth, almost immediately spitting it out in disgust.

Sam stifled a laugh.

"Oh, shut it." Arlo grumbled. "It's not like it's a completely absurd idea- It just happened not to work."

xOxOxOx

Arlo quickly finished his breakfast, glancing towards the Civil Corps commission board- Higgins had requested 25 bits of blue leather. The captain shoved the commission into his pocket, sliding a sword onto the sheathe on his back and pocketing some herbal juice.

When he entered the Corrupted Ruins, he was surprised to see the builder knelt on the ground next to a bush, picking some bamboo papayas.

"Opal?" He called, slightly confused. "You aren't supposed to be in here."

The builder jolted, looking up at the captain. "Oh! Hey Arlo." She waved, jogging over to him. "Sam gave me the all clear after I kicked her ass in a sparring session, so now I have a pass."

Arlo raised his eyebrows, surprised. "You managed to beat Sam?"

"Yeah. I think she was going easy on me, though." Opal mused.

"I wouldn't be so sure.. You're quite good." Arlo complimented.

Opal flushed slightly. "Thanks. I'm certainly not Civil Corps level, though." The builder laughed. "Why're you in the ruins?"

"I'm here gathering blue leather for a commission. Higgins requested it." Arlo explained. "What are you up to?"

Opal shrugged. "I was looking at the gates and Sam told me that if I could beat her in a spar, I could go in. I don't think she was actually expecting me to do it, though. I'm just exploring, I suppose. I got enough ore yesterday to make the bridge, which gives me significantly more free time than I thought I would originally have."

Arlo smirked slightly, remember Sam's earlier comment about Opal being scrawny and weak. "If you wanted, I could show you around." The captain offered. "Maybe you could help me a bit with the commission. Have you had any practice fighting monsters?"

Opal nodded. "I did quite a few missions with the Civil Corps in Barnarock. I'm not sure if the monsters I fought are as powerful as the ones in here, though." The builder fretted. "That bird looks.. Menacing."

"Most of the things in here aren't that bad." Arlo reassured. "You'd have to go into the corrupted ruins to find the really nasty stuff."

Opal nodded. "What are we trying to fight?" She asked.

"They're called 'slurpees'. They're more annoying than dangerous, to be honest. They spray you with water, but don't do much else." Arlo explained. "If you see a pink variant, come get me. Instead of water, it sprays you with pink acid. They can do serious harm to an unprepared adventurer. One of the reasons we don't let just anyone into these ruins."

"Got it." Opal firmly nodded. "Show me to them."

Arlo led her towards a Slurpee cluster, brandishing his iron sword. Opal pulled out a wooden sword with spikes along its blade, smirking.

"Let's go." She muttered. 

Arlo watched as the builder sprinted towards the cluster, thrusting her sword into the torso of one of them. It struggled slightly, its screams alerting the others to Opal's presence. She finished it off with a swing of her sword, effectively silencing its cries.

The rest of the slurpees quickly swarmed Opal. Arlo hurriedly rushed forward and killed two of them in rapid succession. His iron sword was clearly much better than Opal's wooden one- He made a mental note to next time bring her at least a bronze sword.

They finished off the rest of the group, their swords coated with thick layers of green blood.

Opal wrinkled her nose, wiping her hand on her skirt. "These things are messy. I mostly fought robots back in Barnarock. These things are far squishier and bloodier."

Arlo grinned slightly as Opal tried to rid herself of the Slurpee blood, wiping her sword off in the grass. "You know, it's just going to get all messy again when we fight the next ones." He pointed out. "It's probably best to just get it over with and take a shower afterwards."

Opal grimaced. "But then it'll get all crusty." She whined, pouting.

The captain chuckled and began to strip the bodies of their leather. Opal assisted, trying to do it from a distance as to not soil her clothing.

It took them around ten minutes to gather all the Blue Leather they could salvage. "We've got thirty just from these." Arlo concluded, scooping them into his rucksack. "That should be enough- I only need twenty-five, so you can have these." The captain fished out five rolls of leather and handed them to Opal, who gratefully accepted. "Thanks for helping me out, here." Arlo said. "As thanks, I'll buy you a drink later today at the Round Table." He grinned at the builder, who pocketed the leather.

"Appreciated." She noted, glancing down at her clothing. "I should probably go home and take a much needed shower. Seeya later today."

"See you." Arlo nodded. He wiped a speck of blood from his cheek- He probably needed a shower, as well. "You'll be at the Round Table at 8 still?"

"Yep." Opal nodded in affirmation. 

The two walked side by side to the exit of the Corrupted Ruins, then went their separate ways.

Arlo entered the Civil Corps guild, putting the 25 pieces of Blue Leather into the mailbox to be shipped to Higgins. He then went into his room, taking off his shirt and throwing it into the laundry pile. He went into the shower and stripped the rest of his clothing, starting the tap.

_Opal was probably taking a shower at the same time as him, _a voice prodded. He tried to push the thought from his mind. She was his friend, if that. He had no business thinking these thoughts about her. He didn't want to be misconstrued as a creep.__

__As he lathered his puffy red hair with shampoo, he couldn't help but imagine what Opal looked like in the shower.. And wonder whether or not she was thinking the same about him._ _

__xOxOxOx_ _

__Arlo paced at the outside of the Round Table. It was only seven fifty- Ten minutes before Opal said she would be there. He took a seat on the bench outside the Round Table, twiddling his thumbs. Sam and Remington were already inside- He had let them know that he was going to escort Opal into the bar and buy her a drink, much to Sam's delight._ _

__"Arlo!" The captain jolted at the sound of his name. Opal jogged up to him, panting as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "Sorry- I'm probably late, aren't I?" She said, trying to catch her breath._ _

__"No, actually, you're right on time." Arlo informed her, checking his watch._ _

__"Early is on time, on time is late." Opal panted out. She took a moment to regain her composure, moving her gaze to Arlo. "I put up the bridge head and body- I'm nearly finished the end piece. It should be done by Monday." The builder announced proudly._ _

__Arlo's eyes widened. "Already? It's been a week." He said appreciatively._ _

__"Yeah, well, I've built bridges before." Opal waved off. "If I had the machines from the start I'd have been done already."_ _

__"You've done this significantly faster than Higgins would have." Arlo noted. "He took around a month to fix up the docks- And they nearly fell apart a week after. We had to get someone from an out of town workshop to fix it up afterwards."_ _

__Opal snorted. "He seems to consider me his nemesis- I'm not sure why. He just went up to me and said 'hello competition', then accused me of stealing from his furnaces and challenged me to a spar." The builder smirked. "I had him pinned to the ground in under ten seconds."_ _

__"Serves him right." Arlo retorted. "He's caused us a fair bit of trouble throughout the years, giving people lackluster products. That man is the reason why almost no one uses the in-town commission board- I suspect they'll start to use it more though, now that you're here. Once they see your bridge, I'm sure that everyone'll want a piece of your handiwork."_ _

__"I sure hope so." Opal grinned widely. "C'mon- Walk me in."_ _

__Arlo offered her his arm, which she took with a smile. They stepped into the Round Table, being immediately greeted by Django._ _

__"Arlo! And- Is this the new builder? Welcome to the Round Table- The best and only restaurant in Portia. Take a seat, I'll send Sonia over right away to take your orders." The restaurant owner greeted._ _

__"Thanks, Django." Arlo nodded. He turned to Opal. "Have you had dinner, yet?" The girl shook her head. "What do you like?"_ _

__"Sweet stuff and spicy stuff- Just not together." The girl grinned. "You don't need to get me anything, though. Your friends are probably waiting for you."_ _

__Arlo shook his head. "I let them know that I was spending the first bit of the evening with you. Besides," he smiled at her. "I owe you a drink."_ _

__"Dinner and a drink." Opal nodded. "That shouldn't take too long." She paused for a moment. "Where are your friends?"_ _

__Arlo pointed towards Sam and Remy's table. The two of them waved to him, Sam waggling her eyebrows. "They're over there. The one with the green hair is Remington, and the blonde one with the hat is Sam."_ _

__"They're in the Civil Corps, too?" Opal questioned._ _

__"Yeah. It's only us three. Portia's a small town, so we don't really need a full team like the one in Barnarock. Sam, Remy and I can handle most of the problems Portia faces, and if we can't, we can always ask Django or Paulie for help." Arlo explained._ _

__Opal nodded. "I can see that. Portia is about a fifth of the size of Barnarock. The Barnarock Civil Corps has around five good officers, a captain, and then a bunch of goons who just want to show off to girls. Quality over quantity, I suppose."_ _

__"Yeah." Arlo agreed. "C'mon, let's get a table."_ _

__The captain led Opal towards an unoccupied table, pulling out a menu. Opal did the same._ _

__"I would suggest the Supremely Spicy Spaghetti- That's what I'm getting." Arlo pointed out. "And if you like sweet things.. Maybe a Fruit Puff or the Black Forest cake. For drinks, I usually have a Rainbow Lemonade, but it's up to you."_ _

__Sonia approached the table. "Arlo and Opal!" She cheered. "Django told me you were here! The whole town's been looking forward to meeting you. Do you two have your orders ready?"_ _

__"Yeah." Opal nodded. "I'll have the Supremely Spicy Spaghetti, a Fruit Puff, and whatever drink Arlo's having."_ _

__"Er- I'll have the Spicy Fish Stew, a Crispy Pancake, and the Rainbow Lemonade." Arlo said._ _

__Sonia jotted down their orders, then flashed them a smile. "Coming right up!" She said, hurrying away._ _

__"She seems nice." Opal commented._ _

__"Yeah." Arlo commented. He had never really liked Sonia that much- She was too chatty, and her voice annoyed the hell out of him. But he didn't want to influence Opal's friend choices._ _

__"So, pretty boy." Opal grinned mischievously. "You can't expect me to believe that the Captain of the Civil Corps doesn't have some sort of love interest. Girls tend to love a man in uniform."_ _

__Arlo flushed slightly, clearing his throat. "Not really, actually, no. Most of my relationships with the people of Portia are purely professional, Sam, Remy, and Nora being the only exceptions."_ _

__"Fair, fair." Opal leaned back in her seat._ _

__Sonia strutted up to them, grinning. "Your meal has arrived!" She placed two plates and a drink in front of each of them, then skipped away._ _

__Opal took a sip of the Rainbow Lemonade. Her eyes widened. "This is fucking good." She commented, taking a long drink._ _

__"Yeah. It's based on this Old World thing called 'soda'. It's quite flavourful- I'm not quite sure what's in it, though." Arlo informed._ _

__"Well, whatever it is, it's delicious." Opal said, grinning widely._ _

__"What was life like in Barnarock?" Arlo asked nonchalantly, taking a bite of the Crispy Pancake._ _

__"It's quite a large area, so the community isn't nearly as tight knit as the one in Portia is." Opal said. "They fixed up some of the tall buildings from the Old World which serve as housing for the citizens. Kind of like Happy Apartments, only taller and bigger. They have a construction firm, but all they really do is fix up Old World buildings and repurpose them. They've got a school, a university, a library, a Civil Corps headquarters that is- No offence- Way bigger than the one you have here in Portia, and a ton of other shit. It's pretty cool."_ _

__Arlo's eyes widened. "It sounds amazing." He breathed out, impressed._ _

__"Not really." Opal shrugged, taking a bite of spaghetti. "It's not really very different from any of the other big cities in the Alliance. I've only been to Barnarock and Atara, though- Where've you been?"_ _

__"Honestly, I've only really been to Lucien to try out for the Flying Pigs." The captain admitted. "It didn't have those tall buildings from the Old World you were talking about, though. Those sound cool."_ _

__"The Flying Pigs?" Opal exclaimed. "Nice! Even the leader of the Barnarock Civil Corps couldn't make it into the Flying Pigs. He barely made it past the qualifier and failed on, like, the first bit of the actual test. The Flying Pigs are hardcore."_ _

__"Yeah, their entrance tests are quite difficult." Arlo nodded. "I try out for them every year and I've yet to get past the qualifier."_ _

__"Damn." Opal said, finishing off her rainbow lemonade._ _

__The two finished their meals in near-silence. Opal was too enthralled with the food to say anything, and Arlo didn't want to interrupt her eating._ _

__"Well, thanks for treating me." Opal cracked a grin. "I should probably let you get back to your friends- I did come here to meet people, after all, and I can't exactly do that from this table. It's been really fun chatting with you, though."_ _

__"Same here." Arlo grinned. "I hope you have fun."_ _

__"Me, too. Seeya, pretty boy." Opal grinned, getting out of her seat and making her way over to the bar._ _

__"See you, Opal." Arlo muttered. He made his way over to Remington and Sam's table, being immediately greeted by their knowing grins._ _

__"So, how was your little date?" Sam teased._ _

__"It wasn't a date." Arlo brushed off._ _

__"Well, how was it anyways?"_ _

__Arlo paused, a smile tugging up the corner of his mouth._ _

__"The new builder is certainly something.."_ _


End file.
